http://mmajunkie.comInjuries are an unfortunate byproduct of a physically demanding sport such as mixed martial arts.

You don’t have to tell this to Eric Lawson.

For Lawson (9-3 MMA, 5-1 SF), who fights at Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg” event, dealing with them has simply been a way of life over the past few years – a monkey wrench co-mingled into his quest to ascend from rising prospect to formidable Strikeforce middleweight commodity.

It has also hampered his ability to one day be able give up his day job as a mortgage loan officer and recalibrate his focus strictly on MMA.

“I had a run of bad luck,” Lawson recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “I was really active in 2007 and 2008. I was one of the up-and-coming guys for Strikeforce and a guy they were promoting. Strikeforce was going to put me on a main card, and it was going to be a televised fight (following his April 2009 win over Waylon Kennell), but my knee just started clicking a little bit, and it turned into more and more.”

A trip to the orthopedist revealed he had torn cartilage in his knee from wear and tear. It was a cumulative injury that had been building for some time. It cost him roughly 10 months away from the cage and essentially froze his progression.

After the lengthy recovery, his camp inquired at the last minute about the possibility of him returning to fight on the Strikeforce Challengers 6 card in February 2010.

Strikeforce management obliged and began to scramble to find him an opponent.

“We didn’t have an opponent,” he said. “The whole time I’m training like I don’t even have an opponent or even know if the fight was going to come through. Two weeks before the fight and still no opponent. I didn’t even think the fight was going to happen, and we were about to pull out. Last minute we got a fight, so pretty much mentally I was not into it.”

Wayne Phillips took full advantage of his opportunity and went on to defeat Lawson via first round submission. It was Lawson’s first loss in six Strikeforce fights and more than two years.

“I went into the fight unprepared and lost,” Lawson said. “I’ll never make that mistake again. I was impatient, and I paid the price for it. I definitely learned the hard way that all the factors have to line up. You have to be patient for those to be there, and you’ve got to put in all your work. There are no shortcuts.”

To make matters worse, his elbow was hyperextended by Phillips’ armbar, and it once again would force him to the sidelines.

But it did not stop there.

During his training camp leading up to an October 2010 matchup with American Kickboxing Academy-product Ron Keslar, the injury bug bit again.

This time it was a rib that popped out from an uppercut in sparring.

“That’s three somewhat significant injuries in a row,” he said. “They say things come in threes, so that was my string of three bad lucks. Hopefully now I’ll have a string of good lucks for my next three events.”

Finally healthy (knock on wood), Lawson once again is set to step back into the cage.

His opponent is the aforementioned Ron Keslar (5-3 MMA, 0-2 SF), who is currently a two-fight losing streak since joining the promotion.

The pair faces one another on the preliminary card of the “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg” card that takes place Saturday in San Jose, Calif. The bout takes place at a catchweight of 180 pounds on the untelevised preliminary card.

“Keslar has got a strong wrestling background,” Lawson said. “He’s also either a blue belt or purple belt under Dave Camarillo, which we all know is some great jiu jitsu. I have seen him fight before. He’s got a lot of heart. He’s tough like most people that wrestle their whole lives.

“I definitely expect him to come in shape and to be ready to put on an aggressive three-round fight. Although I don’t think it will go that long, we’re both going to be ready for it. I’m definitely preparing for this fight. He’s a worthy opponent and definitely a threat. Success is when opportunity meets preparation, and that’s definitely what I’ve done.”

Like many fighters, including UFC heavyweight Shane Carwin, Lawson continues to mix in a side job outside of MMA to supplement his income. He is involved in the real-estate business.

“With that job I am self-employed, so it actually works out pretty well with MMA,” he said. “When I get a fight schedule, I basically just take off however much time I need to start training full-time for my fight. Then after the fight is over and I have more free time in my schedule, I can put all that money back into my day job.

“For now it works, but the goal is to fight full-time and make that my sole source of income. Hopefully, 2011 is the year for me.”

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